Wednesday, August 16, 2017

“Tearing Down Your Idols” is the theme God put on my
heart for this year’s revival services at the church I serve. I was looking for
a song that captured the theme.Hope and
I looked for over an hour before we ran across this song.Perhaps some of you have heard it.I never had.It’s powerful.Here it is:

Listen to it again. Let the words sink in. Make it a prayer.

The message of the song is one of the major themes woven
throughout the Bible.

God created us to be HIS people. Our minds were made so
we could know Him. Our ears are crafted to listen to His voice. Our hearts are
intended to love Him above all others.

But we have gone astray. We have been seduced by false
lovers.We have listened to the world’s
lies. We crave other things more than we desire our Creator.We worship idols.

What are your idols?

Where do you run to find relief and shelter?To alcohol, nicotine, opioids, or other
drugs?To TV?Porn? Gossip? Shopping? Comfort food? If the
answer isn’t God, you’ve got an idol.

What captures your imagination?What do you dream about getting?Money? Sex? Power? Revenge?If the answer isn’t God you’ve got an idol.

What does the Bible tell us we should do with our
idols?Coddle them?Perhaps try to wean ourselves gently off
them?No!The great men of God tore down their idols
(Judges 6:25); they burned them (2 Kings 23:4); they ground them to dust (2
Kings 23:6); they crushed and destroyed them (2 Kings 23:12).

Don’t expect getting rid of your idols to be quick or
easy.Idols are popular.Idols are adored.Idols have been passed down for generations.The idols and the idol worshippers will fight
to keep their illegitimate place in your heart.

So get down on your knees.Seek God’s grace and power and strength.Pull down the idols.Don’t give up.Expect a long war.When you’re knocked down, cry out to God and
get back up. Get help from your brothers and sisters in Christ.Walk forward, seek Christian counsel, get
prayed for, get radical, do whatever it takes, and keep at it. Gouge out your eye (Matthew 5:29).Cut off your hand (Matthew 5:30). Crucify
your desires (Galatians 5:24). Put them to death (Colossians 3:5).

Will it be worth it? What will you get in place of all
your powerless, deceiving, empty, life-draining idols?

Jesus.

I don’t mean you get saved by getting rid of your
idols.We get saved by grace through
faith in Christ.I mean that as we get
rid of idols our hearts become free to focus more fully on Christ.Our walk with Him is closer.We are filled and empowered by His Holy
Spirit.He gives us new ministries.He bears more fruit through us.We have more joy, faithfulness, goodness,
peace, and self-control. His love shines through us more brightly. We are
blessed and everyone around us is blessed.Getting rid of idols is hard, painful, and difficult work.Is it worth it?Oh, yeah.

We know also that the Son
of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is
true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the
true God and eternal life.

Dear children, keep
yourselves from idols.

(1
John 5:20-21 NIV)

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .

Friday, August 11, 2017

Many Christians become so wrapped up in debates about how
to interpret John’s vision that they miss Revelation’s power and purpose.I’m going to propose something radical.One of
the main points of Revelation does not depend on any of the following:

Is a premillennial, amillennial, or postmillennial view
correct?Was most of Revelation fulfilled in the first century,
does it refer to events all throughout church history, or is it focused mainly on
the last seven years of this age?Who are the 144,000?Who are the beast and the false prophet?What role will modern Israel and other nations play in
fulfilling John’s visions?Are the locusts and fire-breathing horses a vision of
modern military weapons, demonic beings, or something else?

I’m not saying it’s wrong
to ask such questions, think about them, and discuss them.I have.I do. But I am saying that there is a danger that we can get so wrapped
up in these questions that we miss the main point and purpose of Revelation. We
miss the forest for the trees. God help us.

The book of Revelation is
practical.It is designed to be helpful
in the life of every Christian who lives from the time John recorded his
visions until Jesus returns. The purpose of John’s book is the same as the
purpose of the Psalms, the purpose of the prophetic books, and the gospels, and
the epistles:

NIV
Romans 15:4 For everything that
was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance
taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

I’m claiming, and I hope to show you, that what is true
of “everything that was written in the past” (relative to Paul) is also true
for the book of Revelation.The book of
Revelation is intended to give us endurance and hope. Before we see how Romans
15:4 applies to Revelation, let’s think about how it works with the story of
David and Goliath.

David fought a literal nine foot tall giant.It is very unlikely you will ever be called
upon to do that!Yet, it is not
difficult for us to see how the story of David and Goliath is relevant to our
lives.

We apply the story of
David and Goliath by seeing that we need to trust God when we face giant
problems. A similar method of applying the Bible can be used with other
stories, prophecies, and the Psalms.These often tell or are based on historical events which are very
different in their details from what we experience.Yet, we are able to see how God can use these parts of the Bible
to give us endurance and hope in the difficult details of our own lives.

Now, let’s apply the same
method of applying the Bible which we use with David and Goliath (and many
other parts of the Bible) to four parts of John’s visions.

The Deceiving False Prophet

In Revelation a “second beast” appears.This beast is a false prophet whom the Devil
uses to lead people astray.There are
many interpretations concerning who this false prophet is, when he will live,
and how he will work.But no matter
which interpretation is closest to the truth, you need to ask how John’s vision
of the false prophet applies to your life here and now. Here are some of the
many possible applications:

* We need to seek God’s
help, work, and pray in order to see people set free from false religions such
as Buddhism and Islam, and false world views such as atheism and secularism.

* We must resist and equip
others to resist the false narrative of unguided evolution.

* We need to be on guard
against false teaching and false prophets in the church.I’m not talking about minor differences of
interpretation. I’m talking about teaching which denies or creates doubt and
confusion about the core beliefs of true Christianity.

* All this means that we
should be constantly and vigilantly reading, meditating on, studying, and
teaching God’s Word.Knowing God’s truth
is our best defense against the Devil’s many lies.

The Seducing Whore of Babylon

In his vision, John sees a
prostitute riding a seven headed beast.The prostitute is identified as “Babylon”.She is wearing gold and expensive clothes:

NIV Revelation
17:4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering
with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand,
filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.

As with the other symbols
in Revelation, there are endless interpretations, each supported by wearisome
arguments.But notice this:you can and should apply this vision to your
life today no matter which of these interpretations are correct.

You will be tempted to
compromise your faith and/or your morals to enjoy some of the luxuries and
pleasures this world has to offer.Don’t
do it! The prostitute is an image of temporary, seductive power and
pleasure.But Revelation reveals that in
the end she suffers and is destroyed.

Here are some of many
possible practical applications:

* Don’t give in to the
temptation to “enjoy” an affair, or one night stand, or fling, or anything else
you want to call adultery.It may very
well bring some short lived pleasure, but the end will be suffering, and if you
don’t repent, destruction.

* Don’t compromise to make
money.Don’t lie.Don’t cut corners.The benefits you gain will not be worth the
price you pay in the long run.

* Don’t turn to alcohol or
drugs or porn to numb your pain and find a little bit of fun and good
feelings.The fun will soon be gone and
the payment will be heavy.

The Economic Pressure of 666

If deception and seduction
don’t get you to compromise, there’s always economic pressure.

In John’s vision, everyone
has to get the mark of the beast:666.If you don’t get the mark,
you are not allowed to buy or sell.

Some Christians are
worried about whether they will be asked to get a 666 microchip.Others are confident that they will be
raptured away first.Either of those
views might be true, but focusing only on those interpretations may cause us to
miss the practical applications which Christians around the world face today.

Consider the economic
pressure some Christians face:

*In communist nations, it has often been much
easier to go to university or get a good job if you are a member of the party.

*In Muslim nations, Christians sometimes have
a much harder time getting licenses and permits needed to do business.

*In western nations, if you don’t go along
with the radical homosexual agenda, you could be fined and have your business
shut down.

Are you beginning to see
how John’s visions are urgently relevant and practical to the lives of
Christians today, as they have been throughout the history of the church? Let’s
consider one more character from Revelation.

The Persecuting Beast

For those Christians who
are not deceived by the false prophet, or seduced by the whore of Babylon, or
compromised by economic pressure, the devil has another strategy:violent persecution. In John’s vision, those
who refuse to worship the beast get their heads chopped off.

Is this relevant for
Christians in the world today?Perhaps
if you are reading this in the relative safe haven of the US or other “western
nations”, you might not feel how frighteningly applicable John’s vision
is.Yet, around the world today,
Christians are beaten, imprisoned, and killed for their faith.Some have literally been beheaded.

It doesn’t matter if you
are preterist or futurist, a pre-, a-, or post- tribber, or which of a hundred
detailed interpretations of Revelation you hold to.The application is the same.When you are threatened with physical
violence or even death for being a Christian, stand firm.

The Main Point

I’m not saying that the
following is the only purpose of Revelation.In fact, I believe and have written about other glorious truths seen in
Revelation (see
here). But I am convinced, based on long study of Revelation and based on
experience with Christians facing pressure around the world, that the following
is a good summary of one of the main purposes of Revelation:

Revelation is written to encourage Christians to stand
firm for Christ and not compromise even when we are surrounded by deceptive
worldviews and religions, infiltrated by false prophets and teachers, lured by
tempting wealth and pleasure, and threatened with economic pressure and violent
persecution.

Revelation encourages us
to stand firm in many ways:

*We are reminded that many other believers
have faced the same pressures.

*When we suffer, we are following not only the
example of other Christians, but of the Lamb of God, who is also the Lion of
Judah.

*We are shown that, in the end, evil will be
destroyed and those who gave in to evil will wish they hadn’t.

*We are reminded that far above this evil
world and all the forces of darkness, our Lord Jesus Christ reigns
supreme.He will shepherd us through the
dark times and bring us safely to His Kingdom.

*In the end, all our temporary sacrifices and
sufferings will be worth it.We will
live and reign forever with God and Christ in His glorious, eternal kingdom. He
will graciously reward us who have stood firm to the end.

So . . .

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am
coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
(Rev. 22:20-21 NIV)

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .